Two years later, Xinghai Comics Publishing House.
The smell of paper and ink permeated the office floor. The large office of about 200 square meters was divided into several areas by partition walls, and different groups of editors reviewed the drawings in different areas. The sound of typing on the keyboard echoed neither light nor heavy, mixed with the air conditioning.
Outside the window, it is a hot summer day.
Xinghai Comics Publishing House has several separate offices, one for the boss, the other for the finance and the administrative staff. The boss of Xinghai is a middle-aged man who is hard to find. Yan Mo has been here for two years, but she has hardly ever seen the boss come to work. In total, she has only seen the boss three times.
The first time was when she came for an interview. The publishing house was at its busiest, but the boss was dancing the cha-cha in the office. His carefree look made people feel that Xinghai's life and death had nothing to do with him. The second time was half a year after Yan Mo came here. A colleague invited everyone to sing on his birthday, and the boss happened to go. That time, the boss brought a beautiful woman, smoked a cigar, and drank beer, looking very cool. The third time was when the publishing house had a copyright issue and the person in charge needed to come out to solve it.
In Yan Mo's impression, the boss of Xinghai is a person who is always wandering. The reason why Yan Mo came here is because he once submitted a manuscript to this publishing house, and then he became the editor-in-chief of the comic review team by accident.
Yan Mo often feels that Xinghai Comic Publishing House has survived to this day because of her, because she is not only a popular comics author in Xinghai, but also the art editor with the longest working years here. The reason why she is the art editor with the longest working years is that the boss of Xinghai does not care about the publishing house at all, which leads to a high turnover of personnel in the publishing house. The editor who is still reviewing manuscripts in the same office today may be sitting in the office of another publishing house tomorrow.
Yan Mo has been here for two years, adhering to the principle of doing business with the familiar rather than the new. In the past two years, Xinghai has been in a tepid state, and the boss has become less and less reliable. If the publishing house suddenly closed down one day, Yan Mo would not be surprised at all.
"Momo, the author named 'Tongqian' that you are responsible for hasn't submitted the coloring draft yet?" Li Ren asked casually while walking down the aisle with a cup of coffee. She was the art editor of another group and often talked to Yan Mo.
Yan Mo, who was sitting in a rolling chair, kicked the desk and moved to the aisle. She stretched lazily helplessly and sighed, "That author is simply a stubborn person who delays submission. He promised to submit the color manuscript last week, but he disappeared this week. He didn't answer the phone or reply to QQ. I almost went to his house to look for him."
Speaking of this, Yan Mo couldn't help but think of herself two years ago. At that time, she was also a complete delayer. Come to think of it, it was really hard for the editor who was in charge of her at that time.
The sound of "knock knock knock" came from the computer on Yan Mo's desk. Yan Mo glanced at the flashing QQ avatar in the lower right corner of the computer desktop, and then moved the rolling chair back.
A chat window with the nickname "Favorite Momo" popped up on the desktop, and a dialog box with two roses popped up. Yan Mo smiled and replied with a two bent roses. She placed her fingers on the keyboard, thought for a few seconds, and quickly typed a line of words: "Aren't you going to work?"
"It's lunch time. I just bought a new comic book of yours at the newsstand downstairs. I love it. What do you plan to draw in your next comic book?" The other party quickly replied to Yan Mo. After being asked this question, Yan Mo also fell into deep thought.
What should I draw for my next comic?
"Hey, are you chatting with that reader again?" Li Ren, who was about to go to the water room with a cup of coffee, approached Yan Mo again. She looked at the chat window on Yan Mo's computer desktop and smiled mischievously, "You two have been chatting for two years, and you've never thought about meeting up?"
"Friends on the Internet are better known by name than in person. Besides, I'm not going on a blind date with him, so there's no need to meet him." Yan Mo pouted and urged Li Ren to wash the coffee cup so that she wouldn't smell of coffee.
Li Ren shrugged, turned around and walked to the drinking room. When Yan Mo turned her gaze back, the avatar of "My Favorite Momo" had turned gray, and it seemed to be offline.
"Most Love Momo" is a reader of Yan Mo, or a crazy and loyal fan. About two years ago, this person suddenly added her as a friend. The verification information is: the reader who loves to read your comics the most.
At first, Yan Mo thought it was a prank by a bored person and did not add him. It was not until that person sent her more than a dozen invitations that she reluctantly agreed to add him as a friend.
Later, that person kept talking to her about her previously published comics. Yan Mo, who originally had no confidence in her own works, seemed to have seen a beam of light, which guided her forward and gave her motivation. The reader who called himself "My Favorite Momo" was the source of light.
For an author, being liked and recognized by readers is a very happy thing. Probably from that time on, Yan Mo regained the confidence she had lost. She began to conceive her own comics, and also began to go out into society and find her own value in life.
Later, the content of their chats ranged from comics to life and many details. Yan Mo began to like chatting with that person and gradually regarded him as a spiritual support. Even though she knew nothing about him.
"Big news! Big news!" Yang Qing, who went downstairs to buy fast food, rushed into the office with the fast food box. The originally quiet office suddenly became more lively. Yan Mo also looked in the direction of Yang Qing, and the gossiping crowd in the office had already surrounded him.
Yang Qing is the database of the editorial team. She is a person who keeps an eye on everything and has ears on everything. She can get all the gossip and entertainment news. Others in the office gave her a nickname, "gossip harvester".
"Hey, Harvester, which celebrity is cheating today?"
"Could it be that a new fast food restaurant has opened downstairs and is having a special sale?"
"I guess someone was blackmailed again for helping an old lady cross the street."
The colleagues gathered together and talked at once. Yang Qing, who was still panting, did not correct them in time. When she caught her breath, the boss of their publishing house was leading a man and a woman in from the main entrance. The editors gathered in the aisle also quickly returned to their positions to review the manuscripts. Their eyes followed the boss and the other two people. When Yan Mo looked in that direction, she was stunned.
The familiar face became somewhat serious, and this seriousness made people feel unfamiliar. The owner of the face met her gaze and pretended to be indifferent. Then, he walked into the boss's office.
Gu Tianhai? Why is he here? Yan Mo had a question in her mind, but she didn't say it out loud. She stared blankly at the closed office door, and saw that the glass window was blocked by blinds, feeling a little lost.
After not seeing him for two years, he seemed to have changed. He used to like wearing sports sweatshirts, but now he wears a suit. His features have not changed, but he has become more mature and calm.
That person was nothing like the Gu Tianhai she once knew.
"The big event I was about to talk about is that our Xinghai Publishing House is about to usher in a new era. Gu Group plans to acquire our publishing house and continue to operate it without firing anyone. I heard that the new boss plans to recruit painters on a large scale."
“Will wages also increase?”
"If it's run well, that's for sure, right?"
"The man and woman just now are the new bosses?"
"I heard they are a brother and sister. The sister's name is Gu Zhenni and the brother's name is Gu Tianhai. The sister seemed to be quite opposed to the brother's acquisition of the publishing house. When I saw them downstairs just now, the brother and sister were still arguing, and the sister had a devilish expression on her face."
The colleagues who were discussing together were chattering, but Yan Mo sat quietly at his desk like an outsider.
When Gu Tianhai and Gu Zhenni left, Yan Mo was taking the documents to the computer room to print. Gu Zhenni glanced at her arrogantly as she passed by. She looked in the direction of Gu Tianhai, but Gu Tianhai did not look back at her, but left the publishing house directly.
Yan Mo tightly grasped the printed information in his hand, feeling a sense of loss in his heart.
The boy who once said he loved her has probably forgotten her?
"Mo Mo, do you want fish-flavored pork shreds or fish-flavored eggplant?" Yang Qing's sharp voice brought Yan Mo back to her senses. Yan Mo came back to her senses and responded, "I ordered chicken drumstick rice!"
After finishing her fast food, Yan Mo took a short nap on the table. To avoid being disturbed, she set her QQ message alert to silent mode. Although the computer did not make any sound, there were constant noises coming from the office. The boss asked someone to move his things out of the office, and soon a group of people who were doing renovations came, making a lot of noise for everyone.
When it was almost time to get off work in the afternoon, the boss had already packed up his things and had someone put them in his car parked downstairs. When he left, he just said hello to everyone, and the people in the publishing house also walked downstairs to see him off.
After get off work, Yan Mo went shopping for groceries, cooked at home, and cleaned the house.
Before she knew it, it was half past ten and Yan Mo went into the bathroom to take a shower.
Half an hour later, Yan Mo, who had just finished bathing, wiped her hair with a dry towel and walked into the hall. Everything in the hall was arranged in an orderly manner, and there was no strange smell in the house.
Ever since Gu Tianhai moved out, Yan Mo set a rule for herself: if she didn't clean the house, she would treat Yaoyao to a western meal; if she didn't learn how to cook, she would treat Yaoyao to a western meal; if there was a strange smell in the room, she would treat Yaoyao to a western meal...
Of course, Yaoyao, the person involved, didn't know about this. So Yan Mo would still be lazy occasionally.
The phone on the coffee table vibrated slightly, and a QQ dialog box popped up, with the nickname "Favorite Momo" displayed in the dialog box. Yan Mo picked up the phone, unlocked the fingerprint lock, and opened the chat window.
"Mo, what are you doing? What are we having for dinner tonight? Have you learned how to make the sweet and sour spare ribs I shared with you last time?"
Yan Mo, who was not in a very good mood, just replied with a smiling emoticon and confided to "My Favorite Momo" what happened when she met Gu Tianhai in the company today.
"You should seize the opportunity and tell him your feelings the next time you meet. This way, you won't regret it even if you fail." This reply popped up in the chat window of QQ on his mobile phone. Yan Mo paused for a moment after looking at the other party's reply.
Before Yan Mo could reply, the other party sent another message: "Boys sometimes pretend to be indifferent on purpose, just like girls, they are afraid that the other party no longer likes them. So, you should tell him that you like him. Maybe he thinks the same as you do?"
Is the other person really like me? Like him/her just as much as I am, but not daring to speak out?
Yan Mo murmured in her heart, but did not respond. After drying her hair, she lay back on the bed in her room and fell into deep thought. The room was silent, so silent that she forgot the reason for her deep thought. She closed her eyes for a moment and fell asleep.
In the dream, Gu Tianhai stood in the rain, and he repeatedly asked her the same question. In the dream, she clearly wanted to speak out her feelings, but was drowned by the rain. The rain turned into huge waves, and she looked at the figure that was getting farther and farther away across the insurmountable waves.
"Tianhai!" Yan Mo suddenly woke up and shouted those two words. When she sat up, the sunlight came in through the gap in the curtains. She recalled the dream and couldn't help but whisper the last two words softly, "Don't go..."
Since the boss of Xinghai Publishing House changed, the office was filled with a tense and serious work atmosphere. This atmosphere came from Gu Zhenni, the female tyrant who always wore heavy makeup.
Gu Zhenni was supposed to be in a high-end shopping mall, swiping her credit card to her heart's content. But in fact, she chose to be a big shot at Xinghai Publishing House. The reason was simple: with a double degree in administration and secretarial studies, she felt that it was better to manage the business herself than to hire someone else to manage it.
The major editorial teams were terrified by Gu Zhenni's arrival, and their work efficiency increased rapidly within a few days. Wherever Gu Zhenni was, there would be a scene of swords and fire. She would supervise the review and submission progress of each group of editors. If she saw that they were not serious about their work, she would scold them. Many editors were scolded by Gu Zhenni to the point that they wanted to resign and go home to farm.
It was like Black Sunday in the office where Gu Jenny was.
Gu Tianhai did not ask about the management that Gu Zhenni enforced. Perhaps from the beginning, he did not intend to manage the internal affairs of the editors. He had been sitting in the office since he came to Xinghai. He spent a week reviewing the financial statements and operating conditions of the publishing house over the years. After he fully understood Xinghai, he quickly convened a collective staff meeting to summarize the publishing house's profitability and future development direction.
After the meeting, the female colleagues were all shocked by Gu Tianhai’s courage and wished they could work in Xinghai forever.
Yan Mo held the notebook, but she did not leave the meeting room immediately. Her eyes were always on Gu Tianhai, who was sorting out the documents on the table.
Should she tell him that she still liked him, as she always did?
Yan Mo hesitated, and just as she was about to walk in that direction, the door of the conference room was pushed open, and the sound of high heels echoed in the silent space.
"Tianhai, let's go eat together after get off work?" Ye Zixin's voice seemed to be the most powerful weapon, suddenly breaking Yan Mo's heartstrings. She was dazed, watching Ye Zixin walk towards Gu Tianhai, watching her intimately take his arm, smiling ambiguously.
When Ye Zixin walked over, Gu Tianhai couldn't help but frown. When he raised his head and looked in a certain direction, it was empty.
"I'm busy today. Don't come to see me if you have nothing to do. It will disturb my work." Gu Tianhai rejected Ye Zixin's invitation.
"You are busy all day and don't accompany me." Ye Zixin pouted and asked where the toilet was.
"Turn left when you go out and you'll find the women's restroom." Gu Tianhai said coldly, seemingly not wanting to pay attention to Ye Zixin. Although he repeatedly rejected Ye Zixin, Ye Zixin still refused to give in because Gu Zhenni liked her.
Ye Zixin raised the corners of her lips slightly and walked out of the office.
Yan Mo returned to her desk and began to contact "Tongqian" to urge her to hand in the manuscript. Yan Mo, who wanted to numb herself with work, did not notice that the face behind her had already approached her ear.
"It's you, after all."
Yan Mo was startled and punched back reflexively. Ye Zixin staggered back after being punched in the nose, and her pair of "high heels" broke without any force.
A loud noise echoed in the office, and when the editors from different groups gathered around, Ye Zixin had already fallen to the ground in a mess. She also overturned the iron shelf on the wall, and the A4 paper and sample magazines on the shelf fell all over the floor.
"what happened?"
"what happened?"
"Momo, what are you doing?"
The editors quickly gathered around, and Yan Mo hurried forward to help Ye Zixin up.
Seeing her in such a mess, Ye Zixin gritted her teeth and pushed Yan Mo down. Yang Qing, who was standing behind Yan Mo, supported her, but before Ye Zixin could stand firmly, the heel of her other high heel broke. Those who didn't have time to support her could only watch her fall again.
"What happened? Why is it so noisy?"
When Gu Zhenni came over, Ye Zixin was sitting on the ground sobbing in grievance. Gu Zhenni hurriedly dispersed the crowd and helped Ye Zixin up.
Ye Zixin, who was limping, was helped out of the company by Gu Zhenni. Before she left, she glared at Yan Mo and said angrily, "Yan Mo, Gu Tianhai is mine, just wait and see!"
The people in the office were a little confused, and then they started to talk. Yan Mo sighed, not wanting to stay in the office with this atmosphere any longer. She walked out of the company and went to the store downstairs to buy a bottle of iced black tea.
When Yan Mo walked back, Gu Tianhai just walked out of the door. The two paused and looked at each other. After a long while, Gu Tianhai said, "Do you have something to say to me?"
Yan Mo hesitated, nodded, and then quickly shook her head. She thought of Ye Zixin glaring at her, and felt a little overwhelmed. Perhaps Gu Tianhai and Ye Zixin were already dating, and she couldn't become a mistress who destroyed other people's feelings, absolutely not.
"You still like me, don't you?" Gu Tianhai suddenly asked when Yan Mo walked around Gu Tianhai and headed for the elevator. Yan Mo stopped moving forward, not knowing whether to answer him.
The elevator door slowly opened. After hesitating for a moment, Yan Mo stepped into the elevator, choosing to avoid this question.
Gu Tianhai listened to the sound of the elevator door closing, took a deep breath, and couldn't help but sigh: "Yan Mo, that idiot."
Ever since Ye Zixin made a fool of herself in front of everyone, she has never come to Xinghai Publishing House again. Yan Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief, but was once again ordered around by the powerful Gu Zhenni. Gu Zhenni would deliberately call the landline on her desk and ask her to make coffee, buy breakfast and lunch, and do some trivial things that were not related to work. The editors in the same group felt deeply sympathetic to Yan Mo's tragic experience, but they could do nothing to help.
"Yan Mo, why has the author you supervised not submitted his manuscript for a month? How can you be the editor-in-chief?" After checking the amount of manuscripts submitted by the authors, Gu Zhenni angrily yelled at Yan Mo who brought her coffee. Yan Mo was so scared that his shoulders trembled and he stood there in a daze.
"The author named Tongqian has been missing for a long time, and I can't contact her..."
"I don't want to hear any excuses! If QQ doesn't work, use WeChat! If WeChat doesn't work, call the mobile phone! If the mobile phone doesn't work, call the landline! If the landline doesn't work, come to your door!" Gu Jenny was inexplicably angry and was very dissatisfied with Yan Mo's ability to do things.
"I'll go and urge them to submit their manuscripts right away!" Yan Mo quickly fled from Gu Zhenni's office. She tried all the methods, but the author named "Tongqian" seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. He didn't reply on the chat software, and his mobile phone and landline were unreachable. Finally, Yan Mo had no choice but to open the document containing the author's personal information and look up Tongqian's home address.
"No. 39, West Street, Tiannan Road." Yan Mo murmured the address on "Tongqian's" personal information. It turns out that "Tongqian's" home is also in this city?
"Yang Qing, I'm going to be out for a while. Call me if you have anything." After Yan Mo gave the instructions, she picked up her cross-body bag and left the company.
When Yan Mo went out , it was not the rush hour, but today's traffic was unexpectedly congested. Yan Mo sat in the car and looked at the long queue of vehicles outside, wondering why there was a traffic jam at this time.
"It seems there was a traffic accident ahead." Seeing Yan Mo looking out, the driver pointed to the intersection , "There is only one intersection on this road, so when a traffic accident happens, it will be blocked here."
Yan Mo nodded as if she understood. Then she took out the earphones from her bag, plugged them into the earphone jack of her phone, and started to listen to some music while waiting for the traffic to clear.
Somewhere in the city, the sound of a gas explosion resounded throughout the street. The surrounding residents ran to a safe place in panic, and the burning building was engulfed in flames. The fire with black smoke rushed out from the broken glass windows, and the scene was horrifying.
The fire department arrived at the scene as quickly as possible. The sound of the water jets and the roar of the fire merged into one. People gathered downstairs, busy calling the police and ambulances. The city's reporters also quickly took their positions and launched a live broadcast.
"Good afternoon, everyone. What you are seeing now is the scene of the gas explosion at No. 39 West Street, Tiannan Road. Rescue teams are working hard to put out the fire and rescue people. According to residents, the resident where the gas explosion occurred is a professional cartoonist..." The female reporter, who was not dressed very formally, was holding a microphone and broadcasting live in front of the camera and fire truck.
Sitting in the tea restaurant, Gu Tianhai was watching the TV hanging on the wall, which was broadcasting the news live. People in the tea restaurant were also paying attention to the news on TV and expressing their feelings. After finishing his meal, Gu Tianhai walked back to the company, but when he passed by Yan Mo's desk, he did not see Yan Mo.
"Where is Yan Mo? Where did she go?" Gu Tianhai casually asked Yang Qing who happened to pass by.
"Let's go look for 'copper coins'." Yang Qing said without thinking, holding his coffee.
"Copper coins? What do you want copper coins for? To get into the house?"
"No, 'Tongqian' is a person, one of the authors that Yan Mo is responsible for who is always late with his manuscripts." Yang Qing explained, stirring the coffee in his cup. "It seems that she is also in this city. I heard that she lives in the North Street of Tiannan Road. Yan Mo went to her house to urge her to submit her manuscripts."
"Tiannan Road North Street?" Gu Tianhai couldn't help but repeat it. The gas explosion mentioned in the live news suddenly popped up in his mind. "What's the house number?"
"It seems to be No. 39." Yang Qing looked thoughtful. When she came to her senses, Gu Tianhai ran away in the direction he came in.
A small silver car was speeding past on the road. The owner, who was about to turn around and change lanes, was frightened by Gu Tianhai's sudden overtaking and kept cursing all the way, but Gu Tianhai had no time to pay attention. He stepped on the accelerator to the bottom, and the speed display needle shook between 180 and 200.
The ambulance and fire truck were parked inside the yellow line, and the police car had also arrived at the scene of the accident. Outside the yellow line stood a crowd of onlookers, and medical staff carrying stretchers carried the injured down. Gu Tianhai, who arrived at the scene, quickly stepped on the brakes and stopped outside the crowd. He pushed through the crowd and broke into the yellow line, looking for Yan Mo.
"Who are you and why are you breaking in?" The police stepped forward to stop Gu Tianhai, and Gu Tianhai shouted Yan Mo's name.
"My girlfriend is inside, let me in."
"The temperature inside hasn't dropped yet, you can't go in." The police stopped Gu Tianhai who was about to rush upstairs to look for someone.
"Get out of the way, get out of the way." The medical staff carried a stretcher and urged Gu Tianhai and the police to get out of the way. The police pulled Gu Tianhai back and made way for a path. Gu Tianhai looked at the woman covered with a white sheet on the stretcher and shuddered. He pushed the police who were blocking him away with all his strength, threw himself in front of the stretcher, hugged the person covered with a white sheet and burst into tears.
"Yan Mo, don't scare me, get up, you idiot, why did you go to someone else's house for no reason and make people worry all day long... I haven't even had the chance to tell you that I like you, how could you leave me and go? Didn't you say I was childish? Didn't you say I was immature? I came back to you just to tell you that I am an independent adult... I'm sorry, if I had told you earlier that I came to Xinghai for you, you wouldn't have had an accident, I'm sorry..." Gu Tianhai cried incoherently, causing a headache for the medical staff who were carrying the stretcher and couldn't move forward.
Yan Mo, who was delayed by the traffic jam, walked into the crowd. She stood outside the yellow line, staring blankly at Gu Tianhai who was crying while hugging someone else. Every word he said hit her heart. At that moment, she seemed to see the childish kid two years ago again. The one she loved, Gu Tianhai.
"Gu Tianhai!" Yan Mo, who was standing in the crowd, shouted loudly in the direction of Gu Tianhai.
Gu Tianhai was shocked, and the tears in his eyes stopped. He mechanically looked towards the source of the sound, and Yan Mo, who was standing outside the yellow line, also looked at him with tears in his eyes.
"Yan Mo?" Gu Tianhai let go of the stretcher, and the medical staff quickly lifted the stretcher onto the vehicle. The ambulance slowly drove to the scene, followed by the fire truck and police car.
Gu Tianhai just stood there, looking at Yan Mo. At that moment, everything he saw was pale, and in that paleness, only Yan Mo was dazzling. Yan Mo crossed the yellow line and ran towards Gu Tianhai. The hug that came over him made the suddenly still time start to flow.
"Why are you here?" Gu Tianhai asked Yan Mo, who threw herself into his arms, almost word by word.
"Is what you just said true?" Yan Mo asked back without answering him, "You said you like me, is that true? You said you came to Xinghai for me, is that true?"
"So you're stupid. That day I asked you if you had anything to say to me. I just wanted to tell you that I still liked you, but you still ran away."
Gu Tianhai hugged Yan Mo's waist tightly. After two years of not seeing her, Yan Mo seemed to have lost weight. But no matter what she looked like, he still liked her as much as he did two years ago.
"Then why did you ignore me at first?"
"If I don't pretend to be indifferent, how can I know if you have changed your mind in the past two years."
“How childish!”
"Yan Mo, are you still willing to be my girlfriend now?"
Yan Mo did not answer Gu Tianhai directly. She used the most practical actions to tell him that in her heart, she had already acquiesced to his existence.
Gu Tianhai stared with eyes wide open in astonishment, looking at Yan Mo who stood on tiptoe and put her lips close to his. Yan Mo closed her eyes, tilted her neck, stretched out her hand to pull his collar down. The warmth and wetness of his lips sent throbbing into his body, making the long-lost feeling of love awaken in the summer breeze...